Abstract

Detection of fractures using geophysical methods has proven elusive. A significant amount of theory has been developed over the years; however, convincing applications of the theory to field data have been scarce. In this article, we show a clear example of seismic amplitude changes resulting from controlled fracturing from injection at the Alpine Field in Alaska. We use the ability of time-lapse seismic (4D) data to remove the background geology so that the seismic amplitude changes caused by the creation of fracture systems are clearly exposed around injectors.